


Consideration

by Josh89



Series: Beauty [2]
Category: Cause of Death (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Het Relationship, Cute, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Married Life, Non-Chronological, Out of Character, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 09:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17958254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh89/pseuds/Josh89
Summary: A couple of years after their wedding, Mal and Natara return to a neighbourhood they visited during their first case together.





	Consideration

**Author's Note:**

> Chronologically, this part of the series takes place a few years after the events of 'Beauty Redefined', as well as after events that will be featured in future chapters.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, Mal? Surely there are other neighbourhoods that are less… killer-ish… than this one. And probably more suited to our needs, too” the woman muttered, casting a glance at the man who sat in the driver’s seat of the car beside her as he pulled their car into a free parking space on the side of the road.  
The man sighed, reaching over to undo his seatbelt before leaning over and kissing her gently on the cheek. “As much as I agree that there are definitely neighbourhoods more suited to our needs than Pacific Heights, Nat, we owe it to ourselves to at least check the place out, right?”  
Though she was unconvinced, Nat gave a slight nod before undoing her own seatbelt as her companion opened his door and stepped out of the car, quickly moving to her door and opening it, offering his hand to help her out. She accepted gratefully, and the two of them stood there momentarily, appraising the large house they had parked in front of. The walls were made of some sort of whitewashed brick, like many of the other houses in the area. A gravel driveway led down the side of the house to a wooden garage that looked to be big enough to fit two cars in with plenty of room to breathe, and in the front of the house a small flight of green wooden steps led up to a plain-looking oak door. The few trees that surrounded it were clearly well-kept, as was the lush green grass of the front lawn, where a large ‘For Sale’ sign had been set up. Nat cast a glance at the man standing beside her. “Last chance, Mal. We can get back in the car, turn around, get out of here, and find somewhere a bit smaller. No-one has to even know we were here”.  
The only response she received was the feeling of his arm slipping around her waist and a whispered “Too late for that, unfortunately. We’ve been spotted”.  
She looked up in surprise, and sighed when she noticed the woman in the blue suit approaching them from the general direction of the front door. “Can I help you two?” the real estate agent queried.  
The man nodded. “I’m Mal, and this is my wife, Natara. We were passing through the neighbourhood when we saw the ‘For Sale’ sign, and we were wondering if we might be able to take a look around the place, maybe ask you a couple of things about the neighbourhood”.  
The woman looked thoughtfully at them for a moment, and for a moment Natara felt like they had met her before, but the woman nodded and the feeling of recognition vanished. “Of course. What do you want to know?”  
“Is there anything in particular that may detract from our safety or that of any children we may have in the future?” Natara queried.  
Her hand rested protectively on the swell of her stomach beneath her long-sleeved black shirt, and Mal glanced at her, wordlessly asking her if she was alright. She nodded, giving him the gentle smile she seemed to reserve only for him, before both of them turned their attention back to the real estate agent. “Not that I’m aware of, no. The house on the cliff was used by the serial killer known as The Maskmaker for a while a couple of years ago, but it’s been abandoned ever since his death. The neighbourhood has actually been rather quiet since then. I mean, it was quiet before, but now it’s even more so”.  
Natara cast a quick glance at her husband as the real estate agent spoke, making sure that he was alright. Mal remembered the Maskmaker case well, probably even better than she herself did. She supposed Eric’s betrayal had hurt him deeper than he’d ever care to admit. It was the same way with her for Shawn Mallory’s betrayal. She’d long since moved on from the man who had once been her boyfriend, of course, otherwise she and Mal wouldn’t be where they were that day, but it still stung a little. And it probably always would. At last, Mal spoke. “That’s good to know. Is there anything else we should know before we take a look around the place? It’s not that we’re worried about serial killers or anything, though it’s definitely nice to know there’s no need to be concerned in that regard, but it’s more that we’re wanting to be sure of the safety of our daughter”.  
The real estate agent, whose nametag Natara had only just noticed read ‘Sara’, smiled at them. “You’re pregnant? If you don’t mind me asking, how far along are you?”  
Natara couldn’t help but smile back. “Five months as of two days ago. When we found out last week that we were going to have a daughter, everything just sort of fell into place. We've even picked out a name for her already. Victoria. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier”.  
Mal smiled at her, slipping his arm around her waist, and she leaned into his side instinctively. “Neither have I. Now come on, we have a house to check out”.


End file.
